Jul 08, 2024 | by Lalla Carini

Embracing Steiner's Vision While Paving Our Own Path: How The New Village School Differs From Traditional Waldorf Schools 

At the New Village School we embrace the idea of a developmental curriculum initially developed by Rudolf Steiner, which we have updated to address the needs of children today. We facilitate this learning through experiences inside and out of the classroom, and by providing a nature-based, artistic education, in which children have time to explore and engage in the world with all their senses. We describe learning as an alternation of experiencing the world with our senses and reflecting on our experiences, making narratives, stories, and theories. Teachers are the facilitators of this process. They stand as passionate people worthy of imitation and natural authority, a bit like Renaissance artists with their apprentices. 

Our Unique Approach 

Like Waldorf schools, we work in thematic blocks of study of four to six weeks and cover a similar progression of subjects, with the life sciences in the middle grades and the hard sciences (physics, chemistry) beginning in middle school. We don't call ourselves "Waldorf" because we don't want to be bound to a formula. We want the freedom to adapt and change the curriculum according to the needs of today's children in the here and now. The children are our lead in determining what works. We may draw ideas from other educational approaches like unschooling, project-based education, and forest schools, as we see the need. Examples of things we emphasize or where we differ from Waldorf: 

• Team Approach: We have deconstructed the traditional role of the class teacher in favor of a team approach. While we maintain continuity with a morning lesson teacher up to fourth or fifth grade, we ensure that students benefit from the richness of learning from multiple adults.
• Village Concept: We consider ourselves a village where numerous adults pursue their passions and inspire children to do the same. Our teachers are encouraged to inspire and be inspired through various arts and crafts, music, and movement arts that enrich our curriculum.
• Classroom Without Walls: Our unique "Classroom Without Walls" program ensures that students spend two-thirds of a day off-campus every week engaging with the world around them through outdoor education.
• Travel Program: Our extensive travel program, coupled with integral fundraising efforts, serves as a significant milestone in middle school.
• Morning Circles: Regular all-school (kindergarten-8th grade) morning circles bring together young and old, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.

Regarding our relationship with Rudolf Steiner, we recognize that he lived in a fraught, difficult time in European history between two world wars. He was part of a budding movement to bring together wisdom from different cultures and worldviews. His message centered on the sacredness of each individual and the balance between individual freedom and a community of brotherhood/sisterhood. He expounded that intellectual Europeans needed to maintain their focus on scientific thought while opening up to the spiritual wisdom shared by the esoteric traditions of the world. He believed in teaching two world languages to open the mind--the brain pathways--to understand different ways of thinking. 

The way we interpret this today is to cultivate the meeting of cultures. We have a very diverse teaching team, with five or more languages and cultures represented in our midst, four of which feature in our language program. We likewise cultivate connections, through visiting teachers and experiences, to the Indigenous cultures of our area, the LGBTQ+ community, and other target or minority groups that enrich and expand our understanding of the human experience and teach us to "stand with" and care for each and every human and their reality. 

Our Commitment

Our mission is to "stand with" and care for each individual, honoring their unique reality. At The New Village School, we are dedicated to creating a nurturing environment where children can grow, learn, and thrive, inspired by the timeless wisdom of Rudolf Steiner while embracing the needs of the present day. We invite you to join us on this educational journey, as we continue to inspire and be inspired, learning from the world around us and each other.

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